


family meals are meant to be shared

by skyblxssom



Category: Gintama
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, Established Relationship, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Hijikata becomes a part of the Yorozuya sorry I don't make the rules, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, and their kids whomst they would kill for, and vice versa (but pls no they deserve happiness and good things), cause i can't live without it, it comes with the package of dating the perm head, the adventures of Dadtoki and Hijipapa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-02-09 06:23:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18632608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyblxssom/pseuds/skyblxssom
Summary: Sometimes a family can consist of a perm head, a tax-thief, an alien, a pair of glasses and their giant dog. (Or, the life and times of the Yorozuya family plus Hijikata because come on, he's totally one of them)[ A drabble series set post family set for one (and three more) ]





	1. Let it snow: Part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barely two days later and I'm back on my bs. Honestly I can't just end it on that two-parter because really? There's so much family scenarios these losers can bond over! Unlike my other drabble series, this one will attempt to give equal focus on Hijikata and Gintoki's relationship alongside their relationship with Kagura and Shinpachi. I say attempt because I'm still learning to nail down the writing flavor for these kids, if that makes sense.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!

The crisp, white snow signaled the arrival of Winter. The citizens of Edo could be seen in thick woolly coats and fluffy scarves, occasionally with their arms hooked around a loved one for added warmth. Decorative lights had started to line the city, coincided with the festive music that blasted through the speakers of most establishments. 

Only those who had reasons ventured out in this chilly weather. Edo was experiencing a particularly cold spell that forced most people indoors, keeping themselves warm underneath layers of clothing and their beloved kotatsu. Even the Shinsengumi, known for their grit and stamina, had reduced the amount of patrols simply because it was too damn cold.

Hijikata wasn’t a particular fan of this change but this had been Kondou’s decision. With less time spent on patrols, he opted to pour himself into his paperwork to fill in the gaps. He could at least take comfort in the fact that the freezing temperatures kept even the rebels out of the streets.

He had been working his way through a stack of reports when his cellphone rang. Hijikata placed down his brush, took a moment to stretch his back before he answered. Only a handful of people knew his personal number, and since the Shinsengumi could just seek him out if they needed him, that significantly narrowed down the list of potential callers. 

“Hello, Hijikata speaking.”

“Yo tax-thief.” Ah, that familiarly annoying voice. Hijikata felt his lips quirk into a small smile. “From the sound of things, I’m guessing you’re not doing patrols? Lest I’d hear your clattering teeth in this freezing ass weather.”

“Unlike some people, I have responsibilities. If duty calls for it, I’d still do patrols,” Hijikata rebuked, leaning back with one arm supporting his weight. “But, I suppose you caught me at a time where I’m indoors but, you know, still  _ working. _ ”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to imply. Gin-san is an upstanding citizen who totally works!” A sigh. “But there’s not much clients who’d want to hire us because of this blasted weather.”

“Oh?” His brows scrunched up. “You doing alright? Got enough money to keep her warm and fed?” 

“Jeez Oogushi-kun, you sounded like a mother just now. Mental images that I could do without, thanks.” The voice drawled, and Hijikata could picture the hand that rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t worry. Our last job before this cold spell actually paid us quite handsomely. We’re not struggling financially for awhile-- as long as Kagura doesn’t try to spend it all on snacks.”

“Or you on pachinko.”

“Ouch. Gin-san felt that right here, you know?” From the faint thuds, he guessed that the perm was tapping his chest.

“What, your ass?”

“That’s dirty, and not in a sexy way.” Hijikata sat with his legs folded, his free hand dangling off his knee. 

“That’s unfortunate. I thought your ass is quite sexy.” 

The surprised cough on the other line nearly made him laugh, but he simply grinned at what his mind conjured up. Gintoki with a stunned expression, his cheeks rapidly gaining color. How cute. “W-Wait what?”

“Why did you call, perm head?”

“No, no wait, that’s not fair--”

“I think I hear Kondou-san calling for me. Probably have to hang up--”

“Ugh fine! You don’t play fair, you know that?” Hijikata heard mutterings that were too faint to make out. “Clear up your schedule for next Friday, why don’t you?”

“Huh?” Hijikata twisted his body to look at the hung calender on the wall, eyeing the date. “Why that day specifically?”

“Supposedly, there’s going to be some sort of fair in Kabukicho. To celebrate the coming of festivities or some shit. I personally think it’s just an excuse to wring money out of poor saps who’d otherwise hibernate till the end of Winter but--” A sigh. “--Kagura and Shinpachi wanted to go, and they insist I invite you along.”

Oh, Hijikata definitely felt a warm feeling settle in his chest. He fought to keep his lips under control, then responded in feigned neutrality. “Oh? They want me to join you?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what sort of spell you cast on those brats, but I swear they’d have skinned me alive if I didn’t make an effort,” Gintoki whined, though Hijikata thought he heard a playful undertone to it. 

That softie. He was just complaining for the sake of complaining. Hijikata knew for a fact that Gintoki liked it when he got along with his kids. 

“They probably liked me for my money.” And for the training sessions and occasional dango munching when they bumped into him.

“More reason for you to say yes and come along then. Gin-san too likes Hijikata-kun for his money.”

Hijikata snort-laughed. “Now I’ll come along and only treat the kids just to spite you.”

“Have I mentioned how mean you can be? Cause that’s bringing hopes up and crashing them level of mean.”

“If you weren’t so shameless in your approach, I might have considered.”

“It’s a skill, really.” Hijikata shook his head fondly at the tinge of pride within his tone. “So, see you next Friday then?”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to request for an off day. Try and survive until then, sugar freak.”

“Don’t freeze your ass off during patrols, mayo breath.” And with that, the call ended. Hijikata placed down his cellphone, and after a quick consideration, fell back into an undignified sprawl. 

He privately admitted that a small part of him still felt that gooey sort of warmth from knowing that Kagura and Shinpachi wanted to involve him in their fun. His relationship with the kids had certainly improved since that first day, and he honestly felt a sense of accomplishment for achieving this feat. 

After staying in the same position for a few minutes, he pushed himself back up. Hijikata rolled his shoulder, picked up his brush and went back to the reports with renewed vigor. If he wanted to have the whole day free to spend with the Yorozuya, then he needed to finish up as much work as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I post a winter based setting in what's probably the middle of Spring? I live in hot and humid SE Asia so I don't know if I'm even describing things right kfjdfkj All I know about Winter is that it's cold, snowy and wet. And you should bundle up if you don't want to die from hypothermia.
> 
> Anyways, I have a number of scenarios in mind, but admittedly they fell short when compared to the box full of prompts I have for the other series. Which is why if you have any scenarios that you can suggest, feel free to share them with me!


	2. Let it snow: Part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we see things from Gin's perspective! How did the kids roped him into agreeing?

Gintoki never really liked the cold. 

He hated excessive heat but he  _ despised  _ freezing temperatures. It reminded him of chattering teeth and thin shaking limbs, aching lungs and frosted feet sloshing through powdery snow as he searched for any form of shelter that could give this corpse eating demon a slim chance of surviving through the night. 

It drew out memories of camping close to enemy territory, their position too open to safely have a fire going so these exhausted, battle weary men had to continue their battle, this time against the elements. His position coupled with the aversion to intimate touch from people he didn't fully trust meant that he only had a thin blanket and simmering anger to keep a semblance of warm around his shivering body.

It made him recall of a weakened and battered body, having escaped during the beginning of Winter due to the surprising kindness of the enemy. Though, as he wandered further away, constantly swathed by the biting cold until his strength gave out in a graveyard -- because if he were to die, might as well make it easy for someone to discover him -- what use was his freedom if he had nowhere to go? 

Gintoki despised the cold but over the years, he enjoyed the act of keeping warm after his goal changed from surviving to living, as much as he was able to. Dressed in thicker clothing, drinking hot tea whilst resting underneath a kotatsu were definitely activities that he relished in during the wintry months.

He was all prepared to do just that but then Kagura burst into his room, practically catapulting herself onto Gintoki’s comfortably sleeping form. As the rude awakening had him wheezing and spluttering underneath the full weight of a preteen, Shinpachi too slipped in.

“Someone better be dying for making me wake up so goddamned early,” he grumbled, laying back down when it became obvious that Kagura was content to sit on his stomach. Thank god for small mercies that he didn’t drink anything last night. 

“Gin-san, it’s almost eleven AM,” Shinpachi replied with a little sigh. Being the sensible one of the pair, he sat next to his futon. “I was about to wake you up anyway.”

“So? It’s not like we’re going to get any clients since it’s colder than blue balls outside.” Gintoki tried valiantly to tug the blanket back over his head, but up against Yato strength, his puny human arms didn’t stand a chance when they had a mini tug-o-war going on. In fear of ripping his blanket apart, Gintoki chose to be the bigger man and let Kagura win.

“Still, that doesn’t mean that you should sleep around all day. There’s plenty of other things to do.” Now, this odd part within him -- hence dubbed as Dadtoki since it was his parental instincts towards these kids talking  -- that had grown accustomed to the mannerisms of this duo started to feel suspicious. The way that Shinpachi spoke felt like the prelude to something. Buttering the buns before slapping it on the grill sort of something.

But before he could question his hidden motives, Kagura bounced on his stomach, effectively cutting that line of thought and catching his attention because god damn, how much did she weigh!? Wisely, he refrained himself from blurting out that thought.

“Gin-chan! Gin-chan! There’s going to be a fair next week right here in Kabukichou! We need to go there, yes?” Excitement practically dripped from her tone. Gintoki might have found it adorable, if he wasn’t busy trying to stop her from turning his stomach inside out. 

“W-What?” Was the only thing he could pitifully choke out.

“Like Kagura-chan said, there’s going to be a fair in Kabukichou’s lower district. It’s to celebrate the coming festivities, so I’ve heard.” Shinpachi might sound like a mildly interested third party, but he couldn’t fool his Dadtoki senses. These kids were in cahoots with each other. 

“So you want to go,” Gintoki asked flatly.

“It would be a fun way to spend the day.”

“Yeah! There’s going to be games and food! Lots and lots of food, yes!”

Since his wallet was actually full for once, they wanted to take advantage of this. Conniving little weasels, he thought fondly.

“We know that you don’t like the cold too much, but it wouldn’t be fun without you.” Ah, the first strike.

“Yeah Gin-chan! Let’s go out and spend time together, yes?” Strike two.

“We were thinking that maybe we could invite Hijikata-san along? The more the merrier, as they say.”

“You have to invite Toshi too, Gin-chan! He hasn’t visited in awhile, yes? This can be like a romantic date!”

“Brat, even if I were to go on a date with that tax-thief, I sure as hell won’t be inviting you. We’d be the third wheel to you and your stomach.” Still, that was strike three. Gintoki heaved out a deep sigh, looking like he was reluctantly considering the idea even when his heart had already made a decision.

“Alright, alright! Jeez, anything to get you two to shut up,” he groused without any real heat. Gintoki feigned annoyance from Kagura’s sudden hug, lips twitching slightly. Damn it, the things that he does for these kids. “Now get off and get out. Gin-san wants to change without annoying brats hanging around. We need to keep this fanfic PG friendly.”

With one last threat filled reminder (“Don’t forget to invite Toshi, yes? Or else.”) thrown his way, Kagura and Shinpachi finally left his room. 

Gintoki remained motionless with his limbs splayed out, eyes staring at the ceiling as he processed the way his morning turned out. After a solid five minutes, he finally pushed himself up. One hand scratched the back of his neck while the other clawed at his stomach, yawning all the while. 

Privately, he still wasn’t one hundred percent on board. Gintoki didn’t look forward to the frost nipping at his exposed skin, but claiming that he had nothing to be quietly excited over would be a complete lie. 

Gintoki thought it’d take a while longer before they warmed up to his partner on a personal level, so seeing the kids actively wanting Hijikata to participate in the fun had been a pleasant surprise. Seeing his loved ones getting along made something warm bloomed in his chest. Gintoki reveled in this feeling for awhile longer, then fully got to his feet.

After he washed up and had some food in him, later on he’d be making a phone call. Those kids better appreciate his effort, and that tax-thief should accept if he knows what’s good for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on just writing them heading to the fair straight up but then my brain was all 'no wait you have to write out what happened that morning' so this came to be! 
> 
> Next chapter is definitely family fun time!


	3. Let it snow: Part three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: That last scene was what I wrote first a couple of weeks ago, so this story was built from that! It feels nice seeing it finally come to an end! As always, I hope you'll enjoy!

The days went by in an almost sluggish manner. No one really wanted to be out and about with the freezing temperatures, but it seemed that the allure of celebration could still lit a spark amidst the people. Despite remaining indoors for most of the time, Gintoki could feel the low buzz of excitement in the streets as the festival drew near.

Still, he believed that this was all a ploy to wring out money from the wallets of hibernating people. Gintoki could be the poster boy for it, honestly.

Then Friday rolled along. The anticipation practically bubbled over in the form of Kagura happily mimicking her stunt a week prior. Gintoki, being the fool that he was, failed to predict this and had to suffer another rude awakening. This time, he wondered if his spleen broke or something.

“Gin-chan wake up! It’s finally today!” Kagura cheered in the midst of his pained wheezing. “We’re gonna have so much fun, yes?”

“N-Now, Kagura-chan, _please_ get off if we want to have fun later, yes?” It was still pretty god damned early, and unlike last time, he did enjoy a bit of drinking the night before. Gintoki needed to worship the porcelain god before he could properly start his day.

After narrowly avoiding a disaster, Gintoki emerged into the kitchen after he washed up, finding a bottle of hangover pills on the table. He picked it up with a small, fond smile before he worked on their breakfast for the day. They planned on visiting the festival during the afternoon with hopes that a lot of the stalls would be up by then. There were plans on trying out the local food, but Kagura’s stomach was practically a black hole so Gintoki still prepared the usual portion of rice for her.

While they settled down for breakfast, Shinpachi's greeting came from the entrance. Soon he poked his head into the kitchen, his cheeks and the tip of his nose dusted red.

"Good morning Gin-san, Kagura-chan. I'm surprised that you're up already."

"Blame the brat for that," Gintoki groused, shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth. "Trust me, I'd love nothing more than to sleep some more."

"You can't do that Gin-chan! We're going out today, yes?" Kagura chimed in, bits of rice spraying from her mouth. Shinpachi's complaint about table manners fell onto deaf ears. "Don't you want to look your best for Toshi?"

"First of all, bundling up to not have my ass freezing is not what I call a sexy look. Secondly, what do I care about looking my best for that tax-thief? I'm always at my best anyway! It's his lost for not realizing that!” Gintoki pointed at her with his chopsticks. “And lastly, why should _you_ care about this?"

"Because he's going to be one to treat us, yes?" It was the innocence in her tone that made her words sound menacing. "And in order to do that, he needs to be happy. He's always happiest when he's with you Gin-chan."

It was impressive how the atmosphere seemingly split into two. Shinpachi chastised her for sounding innocently manipulative while Gintoki had to stop himself from choking when in his surprise, something went down the wrong windpipe.

After they narrowly avoided a disaster in the kitchen, Gintoki waved the two brats off as he returned to his room. Now that he had his privacy, he went down into a crouch, hands covering his face. In between the gaps of his fingers, he glared at nothing in particular with his lips pulled back in an embarrassed scowl, feeling warm all over.

Stupid Kagura and her stupid implications. Hearing that Hijikata being happiest when they were together should  _not_ make his heart beat like this. What was he, some sort of shoujo manga protagonist? Mantama had just been a mind screw for that blond bastard! That setting did not count!

Once Gintoki got over his mini crisis, he prepared himself for the outdoor excursion. By the time they heard the buzz of the doorbell, he wore a thicker version of his white kimono with a haori on top and a red scarf wrapped around his neck. Seeing that the kids were getting ready themselves, Gintoki had the honor of greeting the tax-thief first at the front door.

He instinctively closed his eyes at the slap of frigid air, then properly looked at their guest. It seemed that Hijikata had opted for more layering, completing his winter ensemble with a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. Gintoki impatiently pulled him in to stave off the cold for a while longer, roughly closing the door with his free hand. The loving smooch he planted made whatever complaint that Hijikata had die on his lips.

"It felt like I was kissing a dead fish from how frozen it was." Hijikata found that Gintoki's cheeky smile made it difficult for him to immediately fire back an insult of his own. Though, that might be from the two kids that bounded up behind Gintoki with their own respective smiles.

"Toshi, you came!" Kagura chirped happily. She wore a thick looking pink jacket, a woolly hat with rabbit ears on top and a scarf in a lighter shade of pink.

"Thank you for coming, Hijikata-san. We really appreciate it!" On the other hand, Shinpachi had added another haori on top of his usual attire, a pair of ear mufflers and his own scarf tied neatly around his neck.

"It's not a problem. I did promise," came Hijikata's cool reply.

"Quit trying to act indifferent and just say that you're happy to be here too." Gintoki hit the nail on the head but trying to act warmer and impersonal straight off the bat with these kids was something that Hijikata still needed to learn.

Luckily for him, he was spared from replying when Kagura darted past them, throwing open the door to hop outside. "Come on come on! The sooner we get there, the more food we can eat, yes? Bye-bye Sadaharu! Be a good boy okay? I promise to bring you back some goodies later!"

Shinpachi shook his head in fond exasperation as he joined her, briefly leaving the two adults by the entrance. Gintoki flashed Hijikata a little grin, easily hooking an arm around his.

“Come now our walking wallet. We need to get a move on before her highness complain about her hunger.”

Hijikata tsks. “I’m so glad that we’ve already established the purpose for my presence.” His dry tone clashed with the way he subtly leaned into Gintoki’s hold, allowing himself to be guided down the stairs and onto the streets.

The festival in question was located near the business district of Kabukichou, if one could call it that. Simple lights hung overhead while various stalls lined the street below it. There were a few pockets of space occupied by various ice sculptures which added to the overall ambiance of a winter festival. Even with the freezing temperature, the number of traffic was decent. A lot of it looked to be families and younger people, presumably with a desire to enjoy themselves.

With the arguing adults walking together while the chattering kids a few steps ahead, they fit right into the crowd.

Of course, the first on Kagura’s agenda was to sample the local fare. She bounded up to the pair, tugging the end of Gintoki’s sleeve to point at a stall selling yakitori.

“Gin-chan! Toshi! Can we try that out?” Try as they might, these two strong warriors were helpless in the face of Kagura’s twinkling eyes (and to a lesser extent, Shinpachi’s quietly hopeful one just behind her). After exchanging a quick, almost paternal look with one another, Gintoki was the first one to sigh.

“Alright, alright. But you’re limited to only five skewers, got it?”

“There’s other stuff to try out here.” Which they needed money for, so they can’t blow it all too early. “We can sample a little bit as we go along.”

Kagura accepted his reasoning easily enough, so grabbing Shinpachi’s hand, she dashed on ahead, eager to peruse the selection of meats to choose her top five from.

“Kagura-chan, slow down! The food isn’t going anywhere!” Gintoki and Hijikata merely watched for a while longer before joining them at a slower pace.

“You know you just sealed your fate with that. She’s going to want to try out everything,” Gintoki pointed out.

“Like you didn’t bring money too to treat them,” Hijikata scoffed back, easily slipping his hand into his partner’s. Gintoki valiantly ignore the way that simple gesture made his pulse quicken, instead lightly brushing his thumb over Hijikata’s knuckle.

By the time the pair reached the stall, Kagura had chosen her five skewers, which was an assortment of meats. Gintoki wrinkled his nose at her choice, and told the stall owner to add the green pepper and onion stick to her order.

“Ew Gin-chan! Green peppers tastes horrible!”

“You need to eat your vegetables too, brat! How else are you going to going to escape your midget fate?”

Kagura lightly punched him in the stomach, which was still pretty hard by human standards. Hijikata had a hand on his shoulder to keep his hunched over form steady while he engaged in some small talk with Shinpachi.

“There’s definitely a lot to choose from.” Shinpachi had to take a step back when the heat from the grill started to fog up his glasses.

“Oi old-man, give me one beef, one mix veggie and one liver.”

“Are you a fan of liver, Hijikata-san?”

“Meh, can’t say I’m a big fan but when it’s grilled like this, it’s not half bad.”

“Well I can guarantee you young man that our livers are the best one in town!” The stall owner chimed in, laughing heartily as he continued to fan the flames on the charcoal grill. Soon enough, all four of them were seated at one of the prepared tables. While a little damp, they still took their time in eating their skewers. Well, more like the non-Yato at the table ate their skewers at a sedate pace.

At Kagura’s whining and blatant staring, they each gave in and silently handed her a bit of their food. The skewers were enjoyed with some hot tea for the kids and hot sake for the adults. Gintoki had wanted his own bottle, but relented under Hijikata’s reasoning that it was still too early for them to get smashed.

At the very least, they left the stall feeling sated and warm. For the next hour or so, they checked out what the festival had in store. Common street food were sold at different stalls, so they tried out grilled corn on the cob, piping hot takoyaki and yakisoba to name a few. Hijikata and Gintoki had to tap out after the fourth helping of food, while Kagura happily ate everything in front of her.

To divert her attention from the food scene, Gintoki pointed out at a corner where it had a variety of games to play. One of which had a familiar face manning it.

“Oh Madao, finally got yourself a job to scrape through this cold winter? Though nothing’s bleaker than your life, yes?” was Kagura’s greeting as she approached the stall. This one looked to be based on accuracy tests; ring toss and can towers were a few that customers can play with.

“Kagura-chan, that’s uncalled for and way too dark!”

“O-Oh, it’s you lot,” Hasegawa replied through clacking teeth. From his attire, it was obvious that it didn’t fully protect him from this kind of temperature. “You… Y-You want to try a r-round?” Gintoki had a feeling that his stuttering wasn’t entirely from the cold. The gleam in Kagura’s eye could make a lesser man cower, honestly.

“Yup! I’m gonna win that toy for Sadaharu!” She pointed at a rubbery looking, toddler sized Justaway. How could anyone thought it a design fit for regular toys, Gintoki can’t understand. All he knew was he’d be having nightmares of seeing that thing staring at him from across the room.

“Ooh, that looks like a nice hairpin for Anego,” Shinpachi commented as his eyes landed on a simple flower pieced hairpin at the prize section.

“Load us up Madao! We’re gonna bring home the big fish!” She looked pumped enough that she might exert more strength than expected. Hasegawa, having been a part of their shenanigans long enough to understand this, shot them both a desperate look.

Hijikata sighed before he approached the kids, gently patting Kagura on the head to grab her attention. “Let me do it. I can hit the targets with the higher points because I have a better view.” Kagura seemed put off for a moment but relented when Hijikata had her choose the targets.

Hasegawa could almost collapse in relief that his stall wouldn’t get destroyed. After paying for both Hijikata and Shinpachi’s throw, the pair went at it. Meanwhile, Gintoki stood by the sidelines, watching the trio fondly. Hijikata followed Kagura’s eager instructions, occasionally pausing in his throw to help tweak Shinpachi’s arm so his next toss was more accurate.

How long did he last felt this way? This blossoming warmth that made his heart ache from how _full_ it was. He didn’t even need to participate because he was already a part of _this_ , whatever _this_ was.

(A family. That was the proper word to describe this feeling but Gintoki still had a ways to go before he’d be aware enough to coin the term).

Lost in his thoughts, Gintoki wasn’t aware that they had finished until he had that beady eyed Justaway shoved into his face. He spluttered, stumbling back and nearly falling on his ass if it were not for Hijikata’s speedy reflexes.

“Look Gin-chan! Sadaharu is going to love this!” The mild annoyance practically fizzled out in the face of Kagura’s excitement. Gintoki peered past the creepy thing to see Shinpachi too with a content smile, a little box in his hand.

“How many tries did it take?” He turned to Hijikata instead with a tilt of his lips.

“... Three times, but she got the prize in the end.” Of course, Gintoki had only been teasing him, so he bounded up to his slightly pouty tax-thief to plant a victory smooch on his cheek. “Good job,” he whispered into his ear before pulling back, seemingly pleased that he got to make Hijikata redder than the cold had.

After that, they just spent some time wandering around. The festival mood certainly kept the cheer going even when orange streaks covered the sky, slowly fading into darkness that brought a different atmosphere to the grounds when the lights went on.

Kagura and Shinpachi still had energy to spare, chattering happily with one another a few steps in front. Hijikata had pulled out a cigarette, occupied with his own thoughts at the moment . He walked somewhere in the middle while Gintoki covered the back. Unlike the trio who had warmed themselves up through the games and pure willpower alone it felt like, Gintoki had started to feel the effects of being outside in this temperature.

At the mild winter breeze, frosted air forced its way into his lungs and stung his eyes. Gintoki wrapped his scarf twice around his neck so that it overlapped his bluing lips, hoping that his own exhaled air would be trapped around them in a cocoon of warmth. Yet even then the chill seeped in and his teeth began to chatter.

"Damn it's so cold…" Gintoki quietly grumbled, tucking his hands deeper into the sleeves to rub his arms. While he had more fun than expected, those feelings were slowly drained, leaving behind that dislike he had for this season. He hated being cold; reminded him far too much of the rough patches in his life.

His quiet suffering didn’t go unnoticed for long. Before he realized it, Hijikata was suddenly in his face. He smelled of cigarette smoke, Gintoki dumbly noted as his partner gently grabbed his icy hands and slowly brought it up to his lips. The perm head merely watched, feeling a different kind of shiver trailing down his spine when Hijikata pressed soft yet heated kisses on the back of his fingers. Then he slowly rubbed their hands together, blowing out warm air to further heat it up.

Too preoccupied by this sudden affectionate gesture, Gintoki didn't realize that the other two had backtracked until he felt a body pressed up against his side. His eyes snapped down, finding Kagura lightly nuzzling into his torso whilst flashing a sweet smile at him, her thin arms wrapped around his waist. The Justaway figure thing sat on the ground leaning against her leg.

Hijikata still rubbed their hands for warmth but now they were almost sandwiched together since Shinpachi took to mimicking Kagura. He opted to hug them both from behind, his arms just barely able to wrap around their torsos, his head popping up in between them. He too was smiling toothily, looking quite pleased with this arrangement.

Gintoki was figuratively frozen, slightly wide eyed as he tried to process this scene.

"Do you still feel cold Gin-chan?" Kagura questioned from his side.

They probably made for a ridiculous sight; engaged in a group hug in the middle of the road with people passing by and the stars twinkling above. But Kagura’s question once again permeated in his mind, and as he took a moment to consider, he decidedly felt  _warm._ Not just from the bodies pressed up against his, but this warmth that made him feel lucky to live through all those winters just to experience this moment right now.

Gintoki’s eyes fluttered shut with a hum, his lips slowly curled into a content smile. He let himself sag into this embrace, knowing with all his heart that they will keep him supported and  _warm_.

“No, not anymore.” And that was the honest truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly the Hijipapa within him came out, which of course just means heart eyes for Gintoki. Their wallets definitely suffered but at least all of them had fun. 
> 
> What sort of scenes should I write about this family next? I have a few in mind, but as always, I'd love to hear what you'd love to see! Any source of inspiration is welcome in these turbulent times ahhhh


	4. Strays taken in: Part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all strays that were picked up get happy endings, but he was slowly getting there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I'm back from my week of presentation hell with the beginning of this plotless thing! Basically, they were some arcs in the series that I wanted to explore through this particular setting. So I thought why not give it a shot? You could say this is a 'what if' kind of scenario. As in, moments in canon explored with this family. Of course this means there's going to be canon divergence, and just me adding in whatever I want. I really meant it when I say there's no plot. This is just me meshing together stuff for some self indulgent writing. 
> 
> I hope it could be an enjoyable read regardless!

Each drop sat on his skin like a puddle that will never leave, perfectly formed, perfectly cold. The rain had long since sapped away his body heat, but it didn’t quite compare to this icy numbness in his chest. There was a coziness in his suffering, as if life had always and will continue to be this way. Sadly enough, there was comfort in this predictability.

Promises seemed to be a concept that always slipped through his fingers, regardless of how tightly he held on. This time, it felt particularly cruel, as if taunting him for fulfilling one promise and yet breaking another; the one that  _ mattered  _ in the end. 

_ “I promised that old man that I’d bring his foolish son to him.” _

_ “I won’t let any more of the old man’s sons to die!” _

Dull red eyes gazed at the slumped figure of Nakamura Kyoujirou, who rested against the freshly made headstone of Mashiroi Kaguzou; a father to his men and a  _ stupid  _ father to his sons. The peaceful smile on his bloodied lips contrasted the monochrome of grey clouds, the remnants of his life smeared across the stone cobbled path being slowly washed away by the cleansing rain. 

Wished it could do the same for his own tainted soul but alas, Gintoki found himself being the only one to live through a broken promise. Hah, wasn’t he so confident with his words? Telling Kyoujirou to continue on living so he could visit his old man’s grave with every single lousy flower to place on his tombstone in hand? 

The first and only visit in his life, and he couldn’t even spare a single weed as an offering. 

“Pathetic,” Gintoki uttered, completely drowned out by the rain. To whom he meant by it? Well.

How could a stray even hold a candle against a Guardian Dog? Kyoujirou might have tried to kill him but Gintoki’s too tender heart when it came to particular matters had him sympathizing with the enemy in the end. A stray that was trying to survive in this harsh world being picked up by the warmest hands they had ever felt was a feeling that Gintoki knew all too intimately.

A slow, almost shaky exhale that burned his lungs, and with an imperceptible nod towards the foolish son, Gintoki turned around, leaving Kyoujirou to spend all the time in the world with his stupid father. 

Passing through the wooden gates, Gintoki still was more human than demon (or as he hoped to believe, deep down) so he did left a message by the sexton’s hut that a body was found within the cemetery grounds. They could assume all they want from the sketchy carving on the wooden door. Maybe when he felt less like death warmed up himself, he'd leave an anonymous message to bury Kyoujirou close to Mashiroi's grave. 

A little while later, down the waterlogged streets and past people huddled underneath their umbrellas, Gintoki cut an almost haunting figure in this downpour. His steps were slow, almost shakily so. With the adrenaline seeped out of his system, the injuries he sustained prior to the saving fall into the river -- where he almost drowned, but spite was a dastardly good motivator for a bastard like him -- started to make themselves known again. 

Unlike Kyoujirou, the shot to his gut luckily didn’t hit anything vital but the combination of blood loss and poison still forced him to lay low in a seedy part of the red light district, getting a back alley quack pot to treat him until he recovered enough. And by that, it was when he could move around without being in too much crippling pain. Gintoki could mind over matter a lot of things, but his body felt ready to crumble underneath the abuse he put it through this time. 

Though, until he reached his destination, Gintoki will forced his legs to keep moving forward. In his efforts to recover without alerting the Mashiroi Group at the time, that meant limiting his contact to those who knew about his involvement with the yakuza group. Gintoki would sooner lose a limb than let Kagura and Shinpachi be used as leverage against him. 

But also knowing those two, they must have poked around in their search for him. They might have even enlisted  _ his _ help, which did little to ease the guilt bubbling in his stomach. Gintoki did what he had to do but he still hated the fact that he made his kids worry about him. 

So he needed to return home.  _ Ol’ Gin-san is alright, yeah?  _ He had to show them that. 

Throughout the haze that slowly fogged up his mind, it was with automated steps that eventually brought him to Otose’s Snack Bar. Bypassing the bar, he slowly went up the stairs, a white knuckled grip on the railing to keep his increasingly shaky legs steady. Finally, he made it to the top, and after taking a moment to catch his breath, Gintoki approached the front door.

The shoji slid open and even when the rain drowned out the sound, it was still loud enough to catch the attention of the occupants inside. 

Gintoki stood at the entrance, slowly forming a puddle beneath his feet as two heads poked out of the main room.

“Gin-san!”   
  
“Gin-chan!”

The twin cries of his name drew his attention, and through swimming vision, he saw Kagura and Shinpachi came towards him, worried looks etched across their faces. They were saying something to him, with Kagura suddenly turning around to dip back into the main room. Shinpachi continued to speak but it sounded clogged, like cotton was stuffed into his ears.

A hand gently grasped his upper arm, and like a doll with its strings cut, he crumpled now that the last of his strength finally died out. Gintoki found himself slumped against something warm and squishy, causing his body to shiver now that he knew just how cold he was. More garbled words were uttered, followed by something being pressed against his forehead. 

Gintoki heaved out a breathless exhale at the touch. With his tank emptied, the only reason he remained somewhat upright was from the weight that supported him. Was it Shinpachi? Kagura did ran back in earlier, though maybe it was the other way around? His thoughts were becoming sticky, and just remaining awake felt too tiring. 

The exhaustion began to really pull him under, though before he could allow that respite, Gintoki knew he had to do something first. It was the reason why he pushed forward despite the concrete in his limbs. 

So, in his last moments of wakefulness, Gintoki lifted his head just enough to puff out a whisper.

“I’m fine. Don’t… wo...rry...” 

And then he knew no more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this arc made me bawl, and after learning about Gin's past, I thought there could be another reason why he was so adamant to save Kyoujirou. I'm just gonna pepper this with a lot of headcanons if you don't mind haha!
> 
> Gonna explore either the kids' perspective or you know who in the next chapter! If I can survive my upcoming finals ahhhhh


	5. Strays taken in: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me months but I finally found the muse to continue this series! It took getting sick AGAIN and filling my free time in bed by rewatching the episode this was based on to give me back my writing spark. One of the parts I struggled with is writing out the characters' voices. Like, I've more or less nailed down Gin and Hiji's but the kids needed their own voice. I felt more with Shinpachi than Kagura, but I hope I can improve on that nonetheless!
> 
> Well, enough of me blabbering! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

A whole day had passed since their boss took up guard duty and there was still no news about his whereabouts. Shinpachi knew that Gin-san had the tendency to laze about on their jobs but his character wouldn't allow him to tackle this one halfheartedly. He accepted this request because of Mashiroi-sama sincerity; a father who knew he’d messed up and wanted to make amends with his son. Those were the sort of people that Gin-san had the most trouble turning down, regardless of their affiliations.

Now, a day of silence shouldn’t necessarily be worrying. It was the environment that left Shinpachi with this odd feeling in his gut. They try not to tangle with anyone openly affiliated with questionable groups, but by the time they were at the compound, it was too late to decline.

The trouble with yakuza groups was definitely their connections. If they poked the hornet’s nest so to speak, than Shinpachi had little doubt that they would be on some sort of list until either party disappears. Gin-san might be the type to go in guns blazing but he also hated unnecessary trouble, not to mention cared too much about their safety to recklessly endanger it.

There was also the fact that he wouldn’t appreciate Gin-san getting tangled with the yakuza just because they had money problems. This job remained on the down low purely because they don’t want him to find out. 

Shinpachi had a lot of trust in Gin-san, he truly did but then word got out that Mashiroi-sama succumbed to his illness. They had immediately rushed over to find the funeral proceedings underway, seeking out their silver haired boss who had remained silent all this while. Among the throngs of people dressed in black, their grief heavy in the air, Shinpachi couldn’t pick out that familiar shade of white.

“Ne, Shinpachi, I can’t find Gin-chan anywhere,” Kagura told him after they made a complete lap around the compound. “He wouldn’t just leave, would he?”

“I don’t think so, Kagura-chan. Gin-san… he’s not the type to be so callous as to skip a funeral.” If he wasn’t on the grounds, where was he? 

The odd feeling that had been bubbling away in his gut for the last couple of days grew stronger. They needed answers. Shinpachi tugged Kagura towards a lone man he vaguely remembered as one of Mashiroi-sama’s, pelting him with questions about Gin-san’s whereabouts. When they were getting nowhere and things heated up, that was when Nakamura-san stepped in.

By the end of his explanation, Shinpachi felt deeply unsatisfied with his answer. Gin-san just up and left after Mashiroi-sama’s death? No, that couldn’t be true. He knew the man’s character. Gin-san could be a lazy good for nothing bum but he held his morals close to his heart. He would never abandon a request with such a flimsy reason. 

When Nakamura-san asked what Gin-san was to them, Shinpachi almost felt insulted that he dared ask such a thing. Gin-san was  _ family _ to them, end of story. This man knew something about their family, darn it, but instead of finally getting answers, they received a warning about sticking their noses too deep in yakuza affairs.

Now, Shinpachi always tried to keep a level head. He practically had to for filling in the shoes of the straight man in this comedy manga. Yet at that moment, he  _ really _ wanted to square up and force an answer out of Nakamura-san, consequences be damned. It was purely because he had to keep Kagura from vaulting over the table to throttle the man that he shoved aside his desire to do the same.

That was the end of the discussion, and they were escorted out of the compounds. Shinpachi watched the doors close in front of them, sharing a concerned look with Kagura.

“He knew something about Gin-chan, didn’t he Shinpachi? Gin-chan’s a useless old man but it’s impossible he’d pull out of a request like that.”

Shinpachi heaved out a weary sigh. “That seemed to be the case but I don’t think we’re in any position to demand answers Kagura-chan.”

“Well, we should just get in there and kick their butts, yes?” She crossed her arms, looking angered enough to do so but Shinpachi could tell that she was trying to hide how nervous she felt about the whole thing. 

“You heard Nakamura-san’s warning. If we continued to halfheartedly stick our heads into yakuza business… I don’t think Gin-chan would like that.”

“It’s his fault in the first place. Stupid Gin-chan. Did he die in a ditch somewhere? He’s too stupid for that,” she grumbled, yet Shinpachi couldn’t help the twist of fear in his heart. Yakuza were known for eliminating people without leaving behind a trace. What if Gin-san really is--?

“Shinpachi… do you think we should call him?” Kagura’s question thankfully pulled him away from finishing that thought. Shinpachi adjusted his glasses, thinking it over. Gin-san had told them that with any jobs that felt shady, they shouldn’t tell him for fear of getting lectured till their ears fall off. Well, Gin-san’s at least. He knew they were mostly following their boss’s lead, but Shinpachi still prefered to avoid feeling like they disappointed him or something.

“I think… we should. Maybe he can help search for Gin-san…” This was not a phone call he looked forward to make but right now, all he cared was to know what happened to the man he called family.

The pair silently made their way back home. When Shinpachi pulled open the washi, he held onto the feeble hope that Gin-san was home; that he’d find his boots thrown haphazardly on the floor, the man himself passed out on the couch, smelling heavily of booze. 

Yorozuya Gin-chan remained as dark as they left it, with only Sadaharu to greet them. He whined lowly upon sensing their dampened moods. While Kagura sank into Sadaharu’s fur for comfort, Shinpachi steeled himself for the upcoming call. He made his way over to the phone, picked up the handset, dialed the personal cell number he gave them and waited.

Knowing him, unless he left it on silent due to a meeting, this shouldn’t take no more than-- ah.

“Hello, this is Hijikata speaking.” The voice filtered through, that deep baritone comforting the uneasiness in his heart. Shinpachi knew he could trust him.

“Hello Hijikata-san, this is Shinpachi. I hope I’m not disturbing you right now.”

“Shinpachi? No, you weren’t. It’s the usual paperwork to deal with.” A sigh. “If Gintoki put you up to this, tell him that I still won’t treat him to an additional parfait. I promised only two if he helped me during the kewpie mayo sale. Just two!”

Despite the scenario, Shinpachi couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. That sounded like Gin-san alright, trying to wheedle out more desserts from Hijikata-san. “No. No… Gin-san didn’t put me up to this.”

Perhaps something in his tone gave it away, for Hijikata-san sounded a bit more alert when after a beat of silence, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

Shinpachi chewed his bottom lip, wondering how he should tackle this. Well, honesty was the best policy, and Hijikata-san deserved to know the truth. So with a tighter grip on the handset, Shinpachi spilled everything. He told him of the job request, how they found out it was from the Mashiroi Group and that Gin-san accepted guard duty. Shinpachi revealed that days had passed with no news of their boss, only to receive a warning when they pressed for answers. 

Hijikata-san, bless his heart, remained quiet throughout it all, the only sound Shinpachi could pick up was the faint swish of ink on paper. He felt drained by the end of it, his worries over the past few days flowed out unbidden. Yet the weight on his shoulders lightened upon hearing Hijikata-san’s response.

“So there’s a possibility that Gintoki got tangled up in yakuza business. Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m-- we’re sorry, Hijikata-san for worrying you…”

“Ah, wait. Shi--” Another sigh. “No, I don't mean that in a bad way. You’re worried for him, I understand. That perm head wouldn’t turn down a request like that or abandon it midway.” He hears the sound of rustling papers. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll have something done about this. In the meantime, it’s best if you heed the warning and lay low. Gintoki wouldn’t want you to get in trouble because of him.”

Hijikata-san’s calm reasoning is both frustrating and relieving. Kagura wouldn’t like to be forced into inactivity, but it wouldn’t help both Gin-san or Hijikata-san if the Mashiroi Group caught them snooping around. “Alright Hijikata-san, thank you for the advice. I’ll try to keep Kagura-chan in check before she gets any ideas.”

“Alright.” A brief pause. “....and Shinpachi? I don’t think that Gintoki would just leave you two. We’re going to find him and drag him back home, okay?”

Shinpachi’s breath doesn’t hitch exactly but it took some effort to keep his tone cautiously optimistic. “Okay Hijikata-san, I believe you.”

With that, the call ended. Shinpachi turned around to find Kagura peeking out from the doorway, munching on some sukonbu with carefully concealed worry in her eyes. “Ne, so what did the mayo head told you?”

“Hijikata-san that he’ll look into it.” Right now, he was their best bet in finding Gin-san given their limited freedom. “We just have to… put our trust in both of them.”

Gin-san had to be alright. He just  _ had _ to.

* * *

Two days passed by since that call and they still got no news on Gintoki’s whereabouts. Hijikata kept them updated on his search but he could hear the frustrated tinge with each update. Shinpachi shared his sentiments quite well. 

It took them taking on a couple of small jobs to keep Kagura from storming over to the compound. Shinpachi reasoned that this could be a cover of sorts, where they move around town under the pretense of searching for the lost cat. They won’t be completely useless in the search for Gintoki, though they didn’t get much of a lead either.

Today they were forced to remain indoors for the heavy clouds that gathered during his walk to the Yorozuya finally parted, sending sheets of rain down from the heavens. From the window, Shinpachi watched the people scatter like ants, ducking under anything that could shield them from the rain. He sighed heavily, mood as blue as the weather.

Kagura reread the latest edition of JUMP, a sukonbu between her lips. He knew that she barely paid the plot any attention, and it was more of keeping her thoughts occupied from incessantly worrying about Gin-san. Shinpachi mimicked her distraction tactic by sweeping the floors. The repetitive motions helped keep his mind away from his boss being trapped in this chilly downpour, at least.

The rain pelted heavily against the rooftops but the sound of the washi sliding open still reached their ears. Kagura and Shinpachi shared a wide eyed look before they got to their feet, the broom thrown aside as they practically barrelled towards the hallway. Hijikata tended to announce his visits, and no reasonable person would go out in this downpour so it couldn't be a client. 

When they poke their heads out, the flare of relief upon seeing their beloved guardian, who had been missing for nearly five days now in the flesh got extinguished as soon as they properly took in the scene. Gintoki's drenched form showcased the milkiness of his skin, though the more worrisome sight was the splotch of red slowly growing around his stomach.

"Gin-san!"

"Gin-chan!"

Shinpachi moved first, already approaching the wobbly looking samurai. Worry blossomed in his chest once he saw the rusty red eyes that blinked hazily at him. "Kagura-chan, go grab the first aid kit! And all the towels we have! We need to treat him quickly!"

Kagura had followed suit but turned back around at the instruction to seek out the items. She too wore a look of concern. Gin-chan had been missing for a couple of days and turned up in a horrible state. What exactly happened when they were searching for him? 

Closing the distance, Shinpachi laid a supporting hand on Gintoki’s arm, only to find himself supporting the sagging weight with a small noise at the back of his throat. He had to drop down to his knees in order to control Gintoki’s fall, arms now fully wrapped around his shaking frame. Ignoring how damp his own clothes were becoming, he felt the head that lifted from his chest, catching the puff of an assurance before his boss completely passed out.

“A little late for that, Gin-san,” Shinpachi muttered, casting nervous glances at the room, hoping that Kagura would return soon. He didn’t dare to move Gintoki without help for fear of worsening the injuries he sported.

Finally Kagura skidded out of the living room, first aid kit in hand with several stacks of towels in the other. 

“Shinpachi! What’s wrong with Gin-chan?” she questioned upon spotting his still figure, swiftly dropping to his side.

“He probably passed out from exhaustion.” Or maybe whatever that hid behind his bloodied yukata. “Come on Kagura-chan, help me carry him to his bedroom. We have to get him into something warm and dry.”

They quickly switched places, Kagura easily lifting Gintoki up with her monstrous strength. Though, her smaller body meant that his limbs spilled out of her hold, head dangling uselessly. The fact that he barely stirred from the treatment told them that they needed to pick up the pace. Shinpachi grabbed the items and went ahead, Kagura’s padding footsteps joining him from behind.

Within the bedroom, he laid down a towel on the floor to absorb extra moisture while they changed Gintoki out of his wet clothes. Kagura gently laid him on it, keeping him half propped up while Shinpachi got to work in removing his outer layers. 

Far from being the first time they had to patch Gintoki up, it still caught him by surprise when he tugged off the black shirt to find the swathe of bandages underneath. Concerning as it was, the source of the red spot came from the bandage wrapped around his stomach, blood seeping through at a sluggish rate. A wound of some sort probably reopened. Shinpachi grabbed a pair of scissors and began slicing his way through the wet wrappings.

The sight uncovered from it was… not pretty, to say the least. Shinpachi recognized it as a gunshot wound, and for a heart stopping minute, he checked whether there was an exit wound too. Thankfully, he spotted it, thus pushing aside the immediate need for a hospital trip. If no bullet remained within him, then Shinpachi could treat the rest of the visible wounds.

For the next hour, the pair worked in tandem. Kagura kept Gintoki steady as Shinpachi disinfected any open cuts that he could see. Some were deeper, signs of a blade slicing through but only one particularly nasty one needed stitching. Before meeting Gintoki, Shinpachi had little knowledge in treating injuries but now, his hands remained relatively steady as he stitched the wound close, murmuring soft apologies whenever the body beneath him shift and groan.

Once he got to everything within his capabilities, they helped him into his pair of green pajamas, moving with clinical precision. Shinpachi didn’t care what he saw so long as he could help patch up his banged up boss. After they laid out the futon properly, Kagura placed Gintoki on it, pulling up the blanket till it covered half of his body.

“Well, aside from the gunshot wound, it doesn’t look too bad,” Shinpachi commented, setting aside the rolls of bandages for later. Now came the waiting game, where they keep an eye out on Gintoki until his condition changed, for better or for worse. 

“What did this stupid son of ours got into, huh?” Kagura’s brows scrunched together. “How dare he make his mother worry about his stupid permy head?”

Her complaints lacked the usual bite, and felt more like establishing a familiarity to this tense moment than actually complaining. Shinpachi offered a small smile, shaking his head. “Gin-san sure knows how to keep people on their toes.” Casting another glance at their guardian, he noticed the faint speckle of red across his cheeks and the barely there pants he puffed out. 

Shinpachi swiped back Gintoki’s bangs to place a hand on his forehead. “Gin-san’s running a fever. I hope that it’s more from his state exacerbated from the weather rather than an infection.” He rose to his feet after that, brushing off imaginary dust from his pants. “I’m going to get a cloth and a bowl of water. Keep an eye out on him, Kagura-chan.”

With that, Shinpachi exited the bedroom. Once out of Kagura’s sight, he allowed his shoulders to slump, expression crumbling just a little. He always hated feeling this way, burdened by the knowledge  that Gintoki got into a fight somewhere without them and suffered for who knows how long before he managed to make his way back home. Shinpachi’s gut feeling told him that the Mashiroi Group played a role in Gintoki’s disappearance, but those were thoughts to entertain after Gintoki’s condition stabilized.

Right now, Shinpachi had a role to play and a phone call to make. Hijikata needed to know about Gintoki’s return, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one will be the last in this mini series, and it'll be from Hiji's perspective! What went through his thoughts upon hearing Gintoki's disappearance? Hopefully, I'll be able to write that out much quicker now that I've gotten a grip on writing his character!
> 
> Thank you for those who still stuck with this series! Until next time!


End file.
